Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece yadda yadda yadda… you get the picture :)
1. Escape and new world?
A few months ago, I never would have thought that I'd be stranded in another world with no means of returning. If someone told me where I'd be, I would have laugh and asked if he had his pills yet.
It all started with a necklace my mom gave me before she died.
She died from cancer when I was 13. She left me alone in this world.
She said it would send me home. I took it, but Ignored her comment, taking it as mindless rambling since she was on her deathbed.
I never even said my name, did I? My name is Shana. I never use my last name since my mom didn't have one. She said that where she came from, she was never given one. She sometimes got this weird look in her eyes when she stroked my hair, saying that I look just like my dad. I remember asking my mother who he was or if he was still alive, since I never knew him. She would laugh and say that he was alive and was living his dream.
I never understood that.
But still, if seeing my red hair made my mom happy, then for her, I would keep it long.
The only thing I inherited from my mother was her eyes. They were pale blue, almost gray. And of course, I mustn't forget her temper. She had a wicked temper. It was why I could never keep my friends. That, and the fact I never had time for them.
The funeral was depressing. We had few friends. The doctor that treated mom came, muttering an apology, and left. A few neighbors came, but I never really acknowledged them.
I was trying to smother the tears.
"Smile," she had said before she died. "'I'm going on a new adventure. We'll see each other again. Life is to short, little one. Smile, and see the adventure that lies before you! There is nothing grander then the world that lies before your feet!"
Those were her words to me that day. She said that in her youth she had wanted nothing more then an adventure, and that she got one. Then she got pregnant with me and left for home.
After the funeral was over, I had a few moments to muttered a small prayer to her.
"See you soon, mom. I'll work hard and smile as you asked me. Bye."
A few minutes later I was picked up by a social worker saying that I needed a family.
I tried to explain to her that I don't need looking after since it was me who looked after my mom for over two years. She had been too weak to do anything. I blame the chemotherapy.
But, I was a child that was unable to lift a finger according to the rules of the so called adults. Yeah, I know, for a brat I was horribly sarcastic and cynical, but life is a harsh school that I learned quite early.
The social worker dumped me with some dysfunctional family, which I quickly realized took in foster kids just for the money, and when that horrible excuse for a foster mother realized that I had some household skills I was put in charge of cooking and cleaning. The social worker told me to be good and that she'd see me soon. As if! Five minutes after the social worker left and I had been given my new duties and room, which I shared with two other girls, I started to plan my escape.
My mom and I had lived in a small town in an apartment so she could get treatments easier, but we also had a cottage in the hills, and that was my destination. Luckily I had some money hidden. I had learned to never trust anyone, so no one knew about it. But for now, I had to deal with 'my new family'.
Note the sarcasm.
The house I was residing was pitiful, and I'm not exaggerating. The color on the walls was, well...
I don't think I know what color it was in the beginning, but now it was a sort of grayish color. The wooden floor was squeaking and broken on some places and there was mold in the bathrooms.
I knew one thing for sure: I'm was not spending anymore time there then I had to.
My opportunity to escape came a week later, and I must say it failed spectacularly.
It was the first time I had ever been beaten by someone like that. Oh, sure, I got into fights but I always knew how to fight and win. But that man... He was to strong, and drunk to boot. I never stood a chance, so I protected my vital parts and hope the beating wouldn't last to long.
Well, I did hope that I wouldn't pass out, but I did.
I woke up at the poking of the youngest foster child Aya.
She smiled, and said: "Good, you're not dead!"
She and two others seen me being beaten and had patched me up the best they could, and for being 4 and 9, they did a good job. In my opinion, they had enough experience on how to treat wounds.
"You want to escape?" Rika asked. She was the eldest of the bunch.
I merely nodded, since I didn't trust my voice yet.
"Then you better hurry, Jason called the police after he photographed your wounds. He was waiting for something like this. This way, he'll take care of us."
"How? He's not 18 yet." I croaked.
"Yes, he is. Turned 18 today. He said if you want to go before he returns you better go," she said, smiling.
I stood up and saw Nika with my bag. I merely said thanks and left for the station.
I boarded the first bus that went in the direction of my home. As soon as I sat down I nodded off into dreamland. Luckily, I was wearing my hooded sweater, so no one could see my bruises and thus, I wasn't bothered by anyone.
Four hours later, and I was once again in my hometown, standing by my mothers' grave. I sensed a presence and I knew it was her. I sat down, ignoring the pain that went through my body, and told her what happened.
Ah, yes, I never mentioned that before. It's my gift, as my mom called it, though I call it a curse. To know and see the presence of ghosts and spirits, to have the ability to exorcise them...
That is not what I would call a gift.
Most of the time I ignore them, hoping they would ignore me to.
As if.
But they did leave me alone when mom died. Sometimes they would whisper of future or of a past long forgotten. When I was little I always listened and told those stories to mom, but those were happier times.
Feeling encouraged by her presence, I stood up slowly so as to not aggravate my wounds even more. I waited for a local bus to take me higher into the hills. It was already nightfall when I reached my new home, so I merely unlocked it and crashed on the bed.
Morning came too soon for me. I slowly dragged myself toward the bathroom, hoping that the water was still running, and, luckily, it was. Then I took a shower and prepared breakfast.
I was eating when I noticed a manga on the table. I picked it up and smiled. It was my mom's favorite one. The title was One Piece. She always read it to me, even when I told her that I was too old for it, she merely pulled my ear and said that no one was too old for a good story. Liked it or not, I knew the whole story. Even when she was sick she never gave up on rereading the story to me.
It was then that I finally allowed myself to grieve and cry. I missed her so much.
Hours later, when I calmed down, I heard a whisper, telling me to grab my bag. I remembered that the voice was the one that always warned me when something was about to happen.
I grabbed it and suddenly my necklace felt warm and was getting even warmer.
Then there was a bright light and I was knocked out.
When I came to, I saw clear blue sky and there was a salty smell in the air that reminded me of sea. And there it hit me.
THE SEA?
My home is nowhere near the sea, an ocean, or a lake for that matter. I sat up, wincing when pain reminded me that I was still injured, and looked around. I was sitting on a hill, and below was a small town with a harbor with a perfect view of the sea. I was pretty sure that my jaw has reached the floor.
I lifted the necklace and looked at it. Then I glared at it and screamed. I was pretty sure I was screaming curses when I heard laughter. I immediately stopped, stood up while ignoring the pain again, and looked around. The laughter was coming from a boy, around 10, with black hair a straw hat with red ribbon and a scar under his left eye.
Oh god, please no! Ran through my head. I must be dreaming.
"You're funny!" he said before introducing himself: "I'm Monkey D. Luffy! Who're you?"
That was the point that neither my brain nor my body could go on.
So I simply fainted.
That is for the first chapter. It has been beta'd by Fuyutaro son to whom I owe a big thank you :)
Thank you for reviews!
Ja ne